Swahili translation: 'A giant to remember:' Ji-Tu Cumbuka

Factual Questions
1

Not an entertainment question. The GQ: Is there anything to support those words being a close approximation to that translation?

More info:

Late actor Ji-Tu Cumbuka (d. 2017) played a number of roles in the 1970s and 1980s where you needed a hulking, scary, Black dude. One of his most memorable roles was as ‘Wrestler’ in the 1977 ‘Roots’ miniseries.

Information on his personal life before acting is. . . thin. Apparently his original name was Jesse Holifield, according to one newspaper clipping. He claimed that his professional name was given by his grandmother, and means ‘a giant’ (Ji-Tu) ‘to remember’ (Cumbuka), but having heard my share of family stories that turned out not bearing credibility under scrutiny, I am a little skeptical.

That translation (if it is so), is also the title of his memoir, published in 2012. "A Giant to Remember: The Black Actor in Hollywood’

Anyone???

2

Google translate has the Swahili of “A giant to remember” as Kubwa kukumbuka, FWIW. So I think it just applies to the surname. Although “great to remember” is a better sense - the word doesn’t really mean “Giant” in the mythological creature sense.

Kumbuka is to remember.
Kubwa means great, large, big.

3

But Wiktionary lists jitu as a legitimate augmentative of mtu in Swahili, while kubwa is an adjective, not a noun.

4

Right you are - wish Google translate was editable like Wiki is, rather than their “Improve this” thing. They don’t have that sense at all. Or they didn’t before - they seem to now. Was that you?

5

I didn’t use Google Translate at all for this, so it wasn’t me.

6

Thanks. So apparently it is somewhat reasonable.